3466 Man with clothes iron in Freetown Even if Sierra Leone is a resource-rich country, it remains among the world's poorest countries, with 2011 estimates indicating nearly 53% of Sierra Leoneans living below the poverty line, and a life expectancy of 52.2 years. I don't know when this photo was taken, but I think it's significant for the standard of living in this country. Such clothes irons (filled with hot coals, or heated in a fire or on a stove) are no longer used in Europe from 7-8 decades.  ..read more

3464 Morgan Lewis Windmill in Saint Andrew Located in the northern parish of St. Andrew overlooking the eastern coastline of the island and the Scotland District, Morgan Lewis Windmill, is the last sugar windmill to operate in Barbados, and one of only two working in the world today, the other being at Betty's Hope Estate on Antigua. The mill stopped operating in 1947, but was dismantled for restoration and reopened in 1999 as museum. During the 'crop' season, February through July, its sails are put in place and it operates one Sunday in each month, grinding cane and providing cane juice ..read more

Named after the sugar cane (once the most important resource of the islands Saint Kitts and Nevis) and mas-short for masquerade, the Sugar Mas Carnival takes place every year between the penultimate friday of November and the last weekend of January, having the climax around Christmas. During this period, streets become a spectrum of colour as various processions and parades bring music and dancing to their every corner and the sounds of soca and calypso can be heard at every turn ..read more

3462 Bomban Orthodox prayer chapel in Nurmes Between 1977 and 1978, on the shore of lake Pielinen, about three kilometers from the center of the town of Nurmes, was erected the Bomba house, a copy (a little bigger) of a house build by Jegor Bombin in 1855 in Suojärvi. Suojärvi was part of the Karelian areas that Finland lost to Soviet Union in 1944 as a result of continuation war between the two countries, and Karelians were evacuated from the areas. A full Karelian village was built around the replica to supplement the atmosphere and the experience of the area ..read more

3461 Fernando de Noronha island. Of indescribable beauty, the Fernando de Noronha Marine National Park, located at a distance of about 340 km off the Brazilian coast, is formed by volcanic peaks of a submerged mountain chain. Nearly 70% of the main island of Fernando de Noronha, 21 smaller islands and islets of the archipelago, as well as most adjacent waters to a depth of 50 metres are part of the property.  The Atol das Rocas Biological Reserve, the only atoll in the South Atlantic, is located about 150 km west of Fernando de Noronha. It is an elliptical reef including two small islands sur ..read more

3460 Old shop houses in the heart of Chinatown and towering skyscrapers in the central business district at the background. Chinese Singaporeans constituted 76.2% of the country's citizens, making them the largest ethnic group in Singapore. Outside Greater China, Singapore is the only country in the world where people of Chinese descent constitute a majority of the population and are well represented in all levels of Singaporean society, politically and economically. Located within the Outram district in the Central Area, Chinatown is considerably less of an enclave than it once was. Howeve ..read more

3459 A salt-pan family in a traditional house in Piran during salt harvesting in summer. Piran, considered by some the most beautiful town on the Slovenian coast, grew with the help of salt. The salt pans, where the world-class fleur de sel (flower of salt) is still produced today using age-old methods, were the reason why the picturesque Mediterranean walled town flourished. Established in 804, the Piran Salt Pans encompassed the salt pans in the area of today’s marina (Lucija, Portorož), the smaller Strunjan Salt Pans, and the larger Sečovlje Salt Pans. The areas of all the preserved salt p ..read more

3458 Boat Quay on Singapore River with OCBC Centre in background The Singapore River is approximately 3.2 kilometers long, runs parallel to Alexandra Road, through Singapore's central business district, and feeds into the Marina Reservoir in the southern part of the city. At one time, Singapore River was the very lifeblood of the colony, the trade artery, the center of commercial activity, the heart of entrepot trade, and the vessel of importance. Some parts of this area include quays such as Boat Quay, situated upstream from the mouth of the river ..read more

With a population of 40,200, George Town, situated on Grand Cayman, is not only the capital of the Cayman Islands, but also the largest city (by population) of all the British Overseas Territories, and a popular port for Caribbean cruise ships. This quaint town is host to a variety of activities – including luxurious glass-bottom boat tours, fascinating rum distillery tours, beautiful art galleries, top-notch shopping that includes duty free shops, delicious eateries and an historical museum ..read more

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